Frugal girl who spent $1.40 a day on her food saved enough to buy 3 houses and a cat cafe by 34

In today's challenging housing market, buying a home might seem out of reach for many. But many across the world have shown that investing in real estate doesn’t have to be costly. A thrifty, animal-loving woman from Japan recently earned the title of the “most frugal girl in the country” after buying three houses in less than 15 years.

In 2019, Saki Tamogami appeared on the Japanese television program, "Happy! Bomby Girl", and detailed her lifestyle that enabled her to buy three houses. She talked about spending just 200 yen ($1.4) a day on food. She said that she was just 19 when she set the goal of owning three houses by the time she hit 34.

She said she found comfort in saving money. After graduating from university, she worked for a property agent. In order to save money, she decided to always eat at home, and stick to simple dishes like toast, udon noodles, and discounted radishes, spending no more than 50 yen (35 US cents) per meal, via South China Morning Post.

Sometimes she would add jam or maybe salmon to her meals, which would cost her a bit extra on some days. She spoke about not buying any bowls and mostly ate directly from the pot to save every penny. She also believed in "never buy anything without a discount." She never bought new clothes and relied on hand-me-downs from her family. She picked her furniture from rubbish and discards. She cut her long hair and sold it for 3,100 yen, which covered her expenses for over a month.

Eventually, she was able to buy her first home in Saitama in the Kanto region, north of Tokyo, for 10 million yen ($69,000) at the age of 27. She then used the rent from the home to cover the mortgage and bought another home for 18 million yen two years later. After a few years, she was again able to buy a home, her third home, for 37 million yen.

Her motivation for living frugally, she explained, was to help stray cats. She fulfilled this dream by opening Café Yuunagi on the ground floor of her third house, providing shelter and support for many strays.

Despite being an owner of three houses, she continues to live a simple life. Her story melted a lot of hearts, especially after she talked about her dreams on national TV. Many recently took to social media platforms to talk about her achievements.

"She should be added to the list of the world’s eight wonders, even more impressive than the Terracotta Army," read one comment, while another wrote, "Many people born in the 1970s in China have a similar lifestyle. It seems buying houses has become like an addiction for them."